Being the amazing, true-to-life adventures and (very likely) misadventures of a writer who seeks to take his education, activism and seemingly boundless energy to North Minneapolis, (NoMi) to help with a process of turning a rapidly revitalizing neighborhood into something approaching Urban Utopia. I am here to be near my child. From 02/08 to 06/15 this blog pushed free speech to the envelope, so others could take heart and speak unafraid. Email me at hoffjohnw@gmail.com

Monday, April 5, 2010

This Sign Spammer Isn't Even Trying

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

I was driving past the former site of Ken's Metal Finishing on 24th and Emerson when I saw this sign nailed to a telephone pole. I didn't even have to get out my umbrella (which no longer opens as it is bent out of shape from sign bashing) to reach this. And the nails were so short they barely pierced the flimsy plastic sign.

I thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars cantina scene: "This little one's not worth the effort; come, let me buy you something," and almost left the sign there. But a) there was nobody offering me a drink, and b) if this sign spam is so ridiculously easy to take down, do you really want someone that lazy moving your stuff?

12 comments:

Hey skiordie, why don't you tell us where you live so we can move all the spam signs to the poles and retaining walls outside of your address? I'm sick of seeing signs slapped up all over the place for fly-by-night unlicensed businesses. If they want work so bad, they can feel free to post on craigslist or take out an ad in the yellow pages, the paper, or in area newsletters. These signs look like trash, and nobody with a grain of common sense would give their business to a company that advertises this way, as they are obviously not licensed or legitimate, so there's no recourse if and when they don't deliver on their promises. The North side deserves better than to be inundated with this garbage.

I live in the suburbs and we have a bandit sign or two for sprinkler blowout's etc. People find them helpful to know who to call for blowout's or spring cleanup etc. Works for us, not sure why you'd try and hurt a guy's business during a recession.

I agree with Sam. I got my sprinklers blown out by a guy who put up a sign in my neighborhood. He did a really good job for a low price. Perhaps if more was done to encourage commerce north MPLS wouldn't be in such awful shape.

One of our neighborhood kids put a sign on the corner pole offering to do spring raking and lawn mowing. Other people put up garage sale signs. We leave them alone. But in "NoMi" they'd be pulled down by the sign gestapo. Thank the Lord I live Southeast (NOT SeMi!)no where near you arrogant butt holes.

Anonymous 1:37,I'm glad you have kids in your neighborhood that want to work to clean up the properties within the neighborhood. North Mpls has kids like that as well. There is plenty of opportunity for kids who want to work to actually find work.I know, because I hire neighborhood kids and my neighbors do as well.

I think there is a difference however between the type of work you are talking about (work that improves a neighborhood) and the type of work that some of these signs advertise. For instance, many of the signs in our neighborhood advertise black market automotive services. I don't about you, but the last time I changed my own oil, I ended up with about a gallon of used oil I had to then deal with, not to mention the oil that I inadvertently spilled on the ground when I pulled the drain plug. What do you think happens to that oil? I've lived in Southeast Minneapolis. In fact I lived there when I last changed my own oil. I put the carton of used oil in my car and drove it to a service station that I knew took used oil (for 5 bucks or something). In North Minneapolis that oil gets tossed in the garbage, dumped down the gutter, dumped into the basement drain, or left behind a neighbor's garage, or dumped on the vacant lot next door. Now ask me what happens to batteries. Now ask me about tires.Now ask me about scrap metal.Now ask me about paint cans. Now ask me about parts washer. Now ask me about asbestos brake pads. Now ask me about gasoline. Now ask me about diesel...

So, you want to talk about home repair/remodeling? How about concrete removal?

The next time you take a walk up to the witches tower in Prospect Park and have to crawl over two tons of busted up concrete and 42 used tires with two dozen paint cans hiding inside, feel free to come back to this blog and lecture us about your little boy who wants to rake flower beds in the springtime.

It seems like in NOMI the preference is for the city or other government entities to perform all services so private enterprise is not encouraged. Thus the sign stealing that this blog seems so proud of. If I put up a sign with the steps to aquire food stamps or money for facade improvement i'll bet that would stay up.

@Anon 4:52PM - paradoxically, I agree with the first part of your comment... but not for reason you cite. Most of the sign-spammers are un-licensed, predatory (e.g. "we buy houses") or otherwise unsavory. I am ALL for more business in NoMi! But, I think technology has moved us a LITTLE BIT beyond sign-spamming. There's this thing called the internet, for example, which doesn't decay on a post in front of my house.